Graffiti on the rise in the city of Franklin

Street art, tagging, back-alley styles, whatever you want to call it, graffiti is now a problem in Franklin.

\"Graffiti isn't really unusual, what's unusual in this case is that we've seen a very large amount in a short amount of time,\" Police Chief Richard Oliva said.

Franklin Police Department has logged nearly two dozen instances of curse words and other markings on the Oak Leaf Trail, Country Dale school, vacant buildings, and public parks, in just the past few months. Chief Oliva says they all seem to have one thing in common.

\"The word rain for some reason has been appearing in several different areas,\" Oliva said

Investigators say they also can’t figure out what the strange marking means, but have ruled out anything gang related. However, it doesn't mean police are taking it any less seriously. The damage to public property can cost hundreds even thousands to spray clean. That bill is ultimately passed down to taxpayers.

\"I think it's a serious issue that needs to be addressed as best as we can, and that's what we've been trying to do,\" Oliva said.

Police believe the suspects are just teens looking for trouble, but haven't narrowed it down any further than that. If you have any information, contact the franklin police department.